Metallic car door



May 19, 1936.

G. MADLAND 2,041,006

METALLIC CAR DOOR Filed Sept. 2l, 1955 yPatented May 19, 1936 N-I T1 ED S TAT-SE S PATENT OFFICE assignments, to The YoungstownSteel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 21, 1933,vr Serial No. 690,407

' 8 Claims.

This invention relates tov metallic cardoors. It YisV directed more particularly to sliding car doorsadapted to besupportedmupon. a pluralityl of balls for relative longitudinal movementiupon a side of a railway car.

It is an object ofzthis invention toprovide a sliding metallic carpdoorshaving a ,ballrunway secured thereto,'said runwaybeing of such construction and so incorporated withithepanel of the-door as to-avoidmodication of said panel.

yA further object is to 'providea sliding metallic cardoor having a ball-runway secured thereto in such relationshipthat .theweight of said door is ,substantially centered :over supporting balls without the necessity. of modification of: said door.

A further vobject residesin the provision of a slidingmetallic-cardoor having, a ball runway secured to thexlower margin thereof, said runway being disposed in substantial `symmetry relative to the mainV plane Yof said :door and so related to the 'door Vopening aszto exclude entry of direct and reflected light between said door andthe lbottom4 of the idoor`opening andto serve as a weatherproong' member the .closed yposition of the door. With these and other objects which *.will become clear. as. the fdescriptionv proceeds the invention comprises the novel structureand; combination off-parts hereinafter described and :more .particularly pointedout and defined .inthe appended claims.

In the. drawing forming part of' this specification :Figure 1.is...a;:partial elevation. of, a .car door embodying thexinstant invention;

FigureZ is a vertical section taken Online` 2-'2 of Figure 1;

Figure Sissa horizontal section .taken .on line 3 3 of Figure. l, the track being removed' for the sake of. clearness; and .Figure 4 is; a'Y horizontal section similar toFig- Vure-3 taken on'linel ll-'JlofA Figure 1.

ReferringY tootheldrawing which :illustrates a preferredembodiment of4 the invention there is shown a car door 4lll preferably formed of metal and-,comprising azmain sheeti metal panel I| which, .as better shown in Figure` l of the drawing', may be provided with a plurality of horizontal 'corrugationsiZ'extending between and merging with vertical corrugationswIS and? I4 provided in Ithe imetallic vpanel adjacent thevertical edges `of the door.

. The dooris-mountedfor sliding movement upon (Cl. 18S-46) house car by means of a plurality of brackets |8,.one of 'which is illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawing. 'The door is adapted to close an Vopening |9'provided in the side of the car, this openingbeing dened in part by means of the front and rear door postsLZU .and 2| and the floor 22 lof the car. The railway house car illustrated is of the type known as a metal sheathed car and comprises'the metallicsheathing 23 secured to the posts 20 -and 2|, -as indicated at` 24 and 25. An inner wooden lining 26 is utilized'which at its ends is secured to a wooden nailing strip 21 disposed-within thefront door post and to a wooden nailing'strip 28 disposedwithin the reardoor post. Thefront door post, as'clearly illustrated Vin Figure 3 oithe'drawing,gcarries-an angle stop member 29 against which the front edge of the door is adaptedto abut `in closed position. fThe rear door post 2| is provided with a spark strip 30 adapted to'be engaged by a sealing strip 3| secured to the rear margin of the door in' order to exclude sparks and the like from entering the car.

Thedoor I0 hereinbefore described is adapted to be Supported for antifrictional movement relativeto theoar side-by means of a plurality of balls. To this end there is secured to the lower Vmargin of the door a ball runway32substantially Y shaped in section. Thel ball runway. 32 carries a ange 33 which, as clearlyshown in Figure 2 of the drawing, is disposed inwardly ofthe lower margin of the metallicY panel and between saidmargin and a backing plate34 and secured tothese parts .as by means ofrivets 35. The upper portion ofthe backing plate, as is well known, ,is secured to the metallic panel above the A pair of -di-V `verging-'-flanges 36 and 3l substantially coextenlower horizontalV corrugation I2.

sive with the length of fthe doorfextend downwardly from the attaching flange 33,1thereby providing a runway within which the supporting `balls 38 arey adapted to be seated. The attaching ange 33 lies substantially in the main plane of the'metallic panel so that the ilanges 36 and '31 are disposed substantially symmetrically with respect to said plane. These iilanges adjacent their lower portions are bent downwardlyas indicated at39 and 40 and extend to the track I5 so as to cooperate therewith in excluding theentry of rain or foreign matter into the ball runway.

It will be apparent, of course, that the flanges may be extended below the track if desired. The inwardly disposed flange' 36, as best shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, liesV below and in proxiVV mate relationship to the oor.22.ofthe car .orin

proximate relationship to a thresholdrplate"4|V I.

' tively cooperates with said floor or threshold plate in precluding entry of foreign matter into the car through the door opening and in excluding,

' direct and reflectedlight from entering the car through the bottom of the door opening.

Reinforcing brackets and 44 are lsecuredto the lower corners of the doorl I0.- The bracket 43 secured to the lower frontcorner of thefdoor is provided with an inwardly extending wall 45V, more clearly illustrated in Figure 3 `of the drawing,

against which the front end` ofthe han runway' a2 abuts in order to close said end to prevent escape of the supporting `ballsV Y38 therethrough. The bracket 43 is'also provided with va downwardly extending flange 46 provided with a spaced upwardly extending fiangellil between-'which flanges a downwardly extending flange 48v`pr0vided`on the track l5 is adapted to be received inorder'to properly retain the lower portion of the door upon saidA track. Beinforcing ribs 49 and 570 are provided on thebraeket aangeV 4s. The nh 4s, as clearly'iilustrated iriFigure 3 of the drawing,

combines with anangleinember`5l secured to thel front vertical margin ofthe door to provide a substantially channel shaped member which, 1n the closed position of the door, coacts with the Vfront stopv-anglek29V to'fexclude entry of theelements `into the door opening. The rear reinforcing bracket 441s quite similar in construction to the bracket 43 and isV provided withran inwardly lextendingfwall 52, better Vshown in Figure 4 off 'reinforcing VribsV 51 and l 58. Y

thedrawing, adapted to close the rearend of the ballrunway 32. It'visl4 to be observedfthat the walls andV 52 provided, respectivly,"onfthe brackets 43 and44, areldispo'sed below-the floor -22 of the car.V YThe sixnilarity of( the bracket 44 to the bracket r43 is carriedout 'further byY the provision of a track engaging,flangejiiandA the t isto be observed that the supporting balls 38 spaced apart a Ydistance somewhat 'greater'.than, half` the length of thedoor are maintained in suchspaced relation by means of the ballspacer 59. i i l o Y `Y It will be apparent that numerouschanges and "modifications in the details of the invention will be` clear. to` those skilled Vin the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention, .which is to be limited only by the scope ofthe claimsappended hereto. fr 'i '^Icla ,im: Y-

1l A sliding metallic car doorof the character y VAdescribed comprising a .sheet metal 'panel' and a longitudinally extending ball runway 'secured tothe llower margin of said panel, ysaidrunway having `a"verticalflange secured to said panel and downwardly diverging'ball engaging flanges vextending from Vsaid vertical Yfiange,'one of said Aflanges 'extending inwardly of the main plane of `said'panel and the other of said flanges extending similarly "outwardly of the main planeV of said panel, saidY flanges confining supporting balls for said'door for'rolling movement in said runway including thefcenter of gravity Vmovement of said door.

runway, a pluralityA of supporting balls seated inV said runway in rolling engagement with said diverging flanges and with said track, said flanges determining the position of said balls relative to said door' whereby the weight thereof is substantially centeredbvensaid balls. Y 3. In a railwayhouse car having a door operiingl and a track secured to said car below' saidVA opening, a metallic door for closing said opening',

said door comprising a metallic panel vand a me tallic member having a vertical flange secured to l the lower margin of said panel, flanges extending respectively inwardly and outwardly from said securing flange to providea balllrunway, fa plurality of balls'seated in'said runwayein engagement with said inwardly and outwardly extendingA flanges for. supporting said door `for antlfrictional movement upon"said` track, said inwardly extending? flange lying below and in proximate relation to the bottom of said dcwdr'open-Y ing inthef closed position of purpose set forth. u

4.y In arailway house car ,having a door opening andY altrack secured to Vsaidl car belowY said opening, aV metallic door for'closing said opening, said door comprising a metallic panel and a metallic member having a vertical'fiange secured tothe lower Amargin of`saidv panel, flanges-extending respectively inwardly and outwardly from said securing'flange to'provid'e a'vball runway, a plurality of Vballs seated in said runway in engage-V ment'with said inwardlyand outwardly extending anges for supporting said door for antifrictional'inovement upon said track, said inwardly extending 'ange'lying below and in proximate relation to the bottom of said door` opening in the closed position ofsaid door, said'metallic member said door for the 'being disposed substantially symmetrically; with respect to the main plane of said panel.

5.'In a railway house car'hav'ing a door openn ing defined in part by the floor of said'car anda track secured tosaid car below said floor, a metallic door forvclosing said opening, said'door comprising a' sheet metal panel andi'aballrunway secured to the lower margin of said'panel, a plurality' of"balls"seated in'said runway for supporting said door for antifrictional movement uponsaid track,` a portion of saidirunway' extending inwardly below and in proximate vertically overlapping relation' to said oor'for the Y purpose set forth.

V6. AIn a railway house Vcar having a door opening defined in part by the floor of said car anda track secured to said car belowVV said floor, a metallic door for closing said opening, said door comprising a sheet metal panel andV a ball runway secured to the `lower margin of said panel, a plurality of-balls seatedv in said runway-for support- 'ing said door for antifrictional movementiupon said trackfa portion'ofsaid-'runway extending inwardly below/and in proximate relation to'said floor, said runway confining said` balls substantially in the main plane'of said panel during the 7. IniaV railway house car having a door openingdeflned in part by the oor of said car and Y Va track secured tol said car below said'floor, a metallic` door for closingsaidopening; said door comprising As. sheet metal panel and a'ball runway secureljto the lower margin of said panel, a plurality dii-'balls seated in said runway i,'or supporting sa door for antifrictional movement upon said track, a portion of said runway extending inwardly7 below and" in proximate relation to said ooryjflsxfaid runway being disposed substantially symnetrically with respect to the main plane o1' said panel.V

8.` A sliding metallic car door of the character described comprising a. sheet metal panel and a. longitudinally extending member secured to the lower margin of said panel, said member being substantially of inverted Y shape in section and comprisingv a stem secured to said panel and integral downwardly diverging flanges, said flanges providing a ball runway for said door.

GABRIEL MADLAND. 

